Chapter 199-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
In the early morning, faint sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows of the monastery, casting a hazy glow over the lifelike sculpture atop the stone coffin.
The golden-haired, golden-eyed young man gazed at the stone coffin for a long time. After a while, his eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we should depart now."
The attendant reminded him softly and cautiously, as if afraid of disturbing the departed souls in this monastery.
This monastery was the resting place for members of the Royal Family, containing the effigies and tombs of kings and queens throughout the ages—solemn and dignified, as if even speaking was a form of desecration.
"Quiet."
Sykes uttered two words softly, and the attendant dared not speak again.
His mother, Qin Tian, the former Empress of the Empire, lay in eternal slumber within the stone coffin.
Sykes placed the bouquet of white flowers in his arms upon the stone coffin. Another suffocating silence followed. Those around him couldn't fathom what the Crown Prince was thinking—they could only stand by in silence.
Several months ago, Ye Zheng had accidentally unlocked his sealed memories. Since then, what had returned to his body were not only fragmented memories but also unfamiliar emotions.
Before, he had thought himself like any normal person, with memories beginning around five or six years old, with distinct emotions. As for his so-called mother, he had no memory of her whatsoever, and naturally no feelings either—after all, he felt nothing even for those constantly at his side.
Moreover, legend had it that when the Empress gave birth to him, she had called him a monster in horror. She had never treated him as her child. She resented him for causing her death, and so the label of "monster" had followed him as he grew up.
But since his memories began flowing back, Sykes was shocked to discover that he actually had memories of the mother who had died on the day of his birth!
Her gentle voice, her singing, her blessings, her worries... like a spell, they echoed in his ears from time to time.
Not just her voice, but her appearance too—hazy, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning. He was so familiar with her, yet the fragmented memories couldn't let him piece together the truth.
Perhaps he could directly ask the old Emperor Havel, but in his memory fragments, she had warned him in a moment of utter grief—he must, must stay away from Havel.
Sykes's fingers dug into his golden hair, painfully clutching his short strands, his expression dark.
He had sought out many healing-type ability users, but none could truly help him remember everything... Only Ye Zheng—only Ye Zheng could help him recall everything.
But there was no way he would grovel before that cunning Ye Zheng!
Even if he recovered his past, what use would it be? It couldn't change the present—it would only add to his pain.
Sykes took one last look at the white bouquet on the stone coffin and the lifelike face of the woman carved upon it. She was smiling, just as hazy and gentle as in those memory fragments.
Seeing that the Crown Prince had finally moved, the attendant breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to follow behind him.
His Majesty the Emperor had instructed them to escort the Crown Prince safely to the shelter in the lower district without any mishaps.
The group stepped out of the monastery doors. Outside, a squad of Royal Knights stood waiting in formation.
The white-haired young woman at the front wore the deep red uniform of the Royal Knight Order, yet it only made her temperament seem colder—like snow that couldn't be melted by any fire. Her white eyes stared unblinkingly toward the door.
Sykes gazed at the rising sun on the horizon, squinting slightly.
The upper district—he would return soon.
He would carefully choose a day when everyone was celebrating, and deliver them a gift of despair.
The madness flickering in his golden eyes was almost tangible. But the next moment, Sykes's gaze suddenly changed. He blinked, wondering if he had seen wrong.
On the slope, a figure in white robes with a warm white wool shawl was slowly walking toward the monastery. Her black hair gleamed in the gentle morning light, as if coated with a warm, holy halo.
"It's the Pope..."
Someone exclaimed in surprise.
"Ye Zheng, why are you at the Royal Cemetery?"
Sykes's suppressed tone couldn't hide his surprise.
Ye Zheng seemed not to hear the disrespect in his tone. Her gaze first glanced at Bai Muqing in the knight formation, then turned to Sykes, her eyes showing a hint of surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to be here either.
"Crown Prince, this is the Royal Cemetery, but it is also a monastery. Through my daily prayers, the divine blesses the departed."
Ye Zheng made a gesture before her and recited, "God of Hope above."
The Royal Cemetery was indeed jointly maintained by the Royal Family and the Sei Curia. Sykes knew that too—in everyone's eyes, resting under the divine's watch was an honor.
Sykes stared at Ye Zheng and let out a laugh of unclear meaning. "Then, Your Holiness, why have you come here today?"
"Today is the anniversary of the former Empress's death. The former Empress loved her people and was kind and benevolent in life. I have come personally to pray for her, wishing her happiness in the divine realm."
Ye Zheng looked at Sykes, her eyes calm with a smile. "The Crown Prince's sentiment is quite impressive—coming so early to visit your mother. Truly a touching bond."
Such polite words sounded like deliberate provocation and mockery to Sykes. Everyone knew his birth had caused the former Empress's death, yet Ye Zheng kept praising his "bond."
Sykes's temples throbbed, but he ultimately didn't act out as he had before. He couldn't make a scene now—he needed to learn to bide his time.
First, he would follow the old Emperor's wishes and stay in the lower district for a while. Once he had fully mastered the ability to summon the Demonic Domain, combined with his own [Destruction], what in this nation couldn't he control?
Sykes's volatile mood calmed slightly. He glanced sideways at Ye Zheng, brushed past her, and prepared to leave.
Yet at the moment they passed each other, his footsteps paused. After a while, he clenched his fist and looked back at Ye Zheng entering the monastery.
"Your Highness, let us depart for the Imperial Central Station."
The attendants escorted him away from the Royal Cemetery. Sykes, striding at the front, lowered his head. His fist loosened, revealing a small note in his palm.
[Coming-of-age ceremony, the palace, I'll help you restore all your memories.]
*
Ye Zheng entered the monastery alone, appearing especially small beneath the towering dome and massive stained glass windows.
This monastery was specifically for housing the stone coffins of Royal Family members. Over seventy coffins were already placed inside. Usually only one or two clergy would come to clean and maintain it—extremely quiet.
After discovering Aston XIV's first Empress, Margaret, in the second edition of History of the Empire, Ye Zheng had thought of the former Empress Qin Tian.
But after reading Margaret's biography in the history books, Ye Zheng found that while some of their experiences were similar, their personalities were very different.
Margaret was one year older than Vincent Aston, with a strong personality and considerable skill in politics.
She came from an old noble family with deep roots. To unite with the Royal Family against the rising new nobility, Margaret had married Aston XIV.
Judging from her actions as Empress, she was no mere political pawn. Margaret should have been a natural politician. In just this one year at fifteen, she had supported cooperation with the emerging class, proposed actively promoting industrial development, created new taxes for the new era, and hoped to improve finances.
She and Aston XIV worked together to help the Royal Family and the Empire adapt to the new era. Until the second edition of History of the Empire was published, the two appeared to be a brilliant young couple, though from the written accounts, their relationship seemed more like that of an older sister and younger brother.
But the second edition of History of the Empire only covered history up to five years before the Demonic Domain descended—recording only one year of Margaret's life.
The third edition of History of the Empire's records of Aston XIV began after the Demonic Domain descended.
Five years were missing in between—and it was during these five years that the Royal Family had created the demon dragon.
The demon dragon's birth must have been connected to Margaret, which was why Aston XIV had erased her existence and concealed the demon dragon's true appearance.
The trail seemed to have gone cold again, but as if by fate, similar destinies seemed to be cycling. So Ye Zheng turned her attention to the current Royal Family.
Recently, there had been incidents of monsters harming people in the upper district. Although the Empire publicly explained it as the Crown Prince failing to control his exotic beast pet and punished the Crown Prince by sending him to the lower district to reflect on his mistakes.
Ye Zheng knew—the Demonic Domain had descended upon the upper district.
Sykes, born from the demon dragon's remains and his mother's corpse, not only possessed the world-destroying [Destruction] but also had the ability to summon the Demonic Domain. Though it currently seemed unstable, one could imagine how terrifying he would become in the future—just like the demon dragon of old.
Ye Zheng couldn't travel through time to find Margaret and the demon dragon from five hundred years ago, but she had ways to access the secrets behind the current Emperor, the former Empress, and Sykes.
Upon receiving news that Sykes would visit the monastery to pay respects to the former Empress, a plan quickly formed in Ye Zheng's mind.
Sykes had always wanted to recover all his memories but was reluctant to ask for her help again due to their less-than-friendly relationship.
Since that was the case, she would give him a way out first.
She now had [Mother of All Things] and was confident she could help him recover all his memories.
Not only could she help him recover them—once [Mother of All Things] grasped the other's life energy, Ye Zheng could completely share his memories!
As for the agreed date and location, Ye Zheng had deliberated carefully.
Neither of them particularly wanted to see each other. Since that was the case, she would choose a day when they were destined to meet.
—Her coming-of-age ceremony.
Sykes was destined to go berserk at her coming-of-age ceremony. In the original comic, his target was Percy, and "Ye Zheng" had only been arranged by the plot to step forward and take the blade. But this time, Ye Zheng's intuition told her he would aim directly at her, regardless of whether Percy appeared.
Judging from Sykes's behavior just now, perhaps even he didn't know that in one week, he would go mad at her coming-of-age ceremony.
Perfect—let all truths be revealed on that day.
Only... a trace of hesitation flickered in Ye Zheng's dark eyes. She wasn't certain whether Sykes would still need her to restore his memories by then.
If he was unwilling, she might never find another chance to read his memories, because on that day, only one of them could survive.
If he was willing to fulfill the agreement before killing her, then Ye Zheng would have another winning chip. As long as she used the restoration as a pretext to let [Mother of All Things] contact his energy, her probability of killing him would become much greater—even approaching one hundred percent.
It all depended on whether Sykes would accept this gift from the Grim Reaper.
Ye Zheng quickly found the former Empress Qin Tian's stone coffin among the gray coffins. A bouquet of flowers still lay upon it.
She closed her eyes, first said an apology, then began reciting words of mourning and blessing.
She had been forced to use the former Empress Qin Tian as an excuse, but even if it was just an excuse, she would fulfill her promise.
After some time, the light filtering through the stained glass windows grew stronger. Ye Zheng opened her eyes. She heard the monastery doors being pushed open again.
Creak—
Ye Zheng turned her head. A tall, broad-shouldered woman stood at the doorway, staring at her in surprise, as if puzzled by her presence here.
Qin Lu—her teacher, and also the younger sister of the former Empress Qin Tian.
Her second target for coming to the monastery today.
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